Tears of a clown ... Amy Winehouse at the MTV Movie Awards in LA, 2007. Photograph: Kevork Djansezian/PA
The latest appearance by a dishevelled, tired and emotional Amy Winehouse in the nation's tabloids has revealed she has added yet another tattoo to her collection. This time, it's a tear just under her left eye.
The tattoo is presumably intended to mark her distress at husband Blake Fielder-Civil remaining on remand at Pentonville Prison over charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice. But while the literal meaning of a teardrop tattoo is that the wearer is grieving over someone, within the prison community it has more serious connotations. It can imply that the wearer is "owned" by a sugar daddy or that they have committed a murder.
Winehouse isn't the only musician to exhibit the tattoo - US rappers including The Game and Lil Wayne have tear tattoos to signify the death of friends - a usage that is now more common. She should, however, be wary the next time she tours Australia, where it means you have molested a child.
And while we're on the subject of misappropriation, spare a thought for all those trendy New York graphic designer types sporting spider's web tattoos on their elbows. Originally used to signify a murder (specifically if racially motivated), drug addiction or being incarcerated (ie "caught up" in the system), it's causing a little online consternation from those who didn't do their research beforehand. (Incidentally, scroll down that forum and you get a few other tattoo confusions - including someone who isn't sure if having an Iron Cross medal on your chest means you're a Nazi, or you're married to a Filipino.)
If anyone out there is still considering getting a teardrop done, I strongly recommend you go for the emo approach.
